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Home Health A to Z
Food poisoning
Food poisoning is rarely serious and usually gets better within a week. You can normally treat yourself or your child at home.
Check if you have food poisoning
Symptoms of food poisoning include:
feeling sick (nausea)
diarrhoea
being sick (vomiting)
stomach cramps
a high temperature of 38C or above
feeling generally unwell – such as feeling tired or having aches and chills
The symptoms usually start within a few days of eating the food that caused the infection.
Sometimes they start after a few hours or not for a few weeks.
How to treat food poisoning yourself
You can usually treat yourself or your child at home.
The symptoms usually pass within a week.
The most important thing is to have lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration.
Information:
Read about how to treat diarrhoea and vomiting
Diarrhoea and sickness
Stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.
How you get food poisoning
Food poisoning is caused by eating something that has been contaminated with germs.
This can happen if food:
is not cooked or reheated thoroughly
is not stored correctly – for example, it's not been frozen or chilled
is left out for too long
is handled by someone who's ill or has not washed their hands
is eaten after its "use by" date
Any type of food can cause food poisoning.
Read tips to avoid food poisoning
Infections that cause food poisoning
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Page last reviewed: 18 June 2021
Next review due: 18 June 2024
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